Fire-alarm box.



GLF. BURROUGHS.

' FIRE ALARM BOX.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12. 1912.

1,051,946. Patented Feb.4,1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

O. P. BURROUGHS.

FIRE ALARM BOX.

APPLIOATION FILED APR 12 1912.

Patented Feb. 4, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

enemas r. BUBUGHS, or near 02: nan, new JEY.

FIRE-ALARM no'x.

Specification of'ltietters Patent.

Patented Fee. a, rai s;

Application filled April 12, 1912-. Serial No. 690,397.

T o allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES F. Bun ROUGHS, a citizen of the United-States, residing at 65 Prospect street, East Orange, county of Essex, and State of New-Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Alarm 'Boxes,- fully described and represented'in the following vspecil'ication and the accompanying draw- 'ings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to improvements in fire alarm boxes of that class which is selfwinding, that is, it does not require winding periodically by an inspector, but is wound up automatically by the normal actuationof the pull-lever. I

The particular purpose of the invention is to devise a self-winding fire, alarm box which is foolproof, and this purpose is accomplished chiefly by connecting the winding-lever of the box to the inner end of a clock-spring, while the gear-train for actuating the signal-wheel is driven from the *to any part of a cog-wheel for propelling retract the sto outer end'of the spring. The outer end of the spring may be connected to a drum or the gear-train, and a stop is provided to prevent. any movement of the gear-train until the lever is pulled. The connection of the pull-lever to the stop for retracting the latter is preferably efi'ected through a cam movable with the said drum or cog-wheel, and operating when the lever is pulled to of the gear-tram, which continues until the reaction of the cam permits the stop to arrest the mechanism. The motive power which is utilized to propel the gear-train may consist of a sprin a weight, or any other motive-power w ich is renergized by the pull-lever at each movement. The construction is such that the sending ofthe signal is certain if the pull-lever is operated.

Inasmuch as a fire alarm box is generally psed by people unfamiliar with mechanical devices, it is most essential that the manipu-v lation required of the user, to effect the transmissionof an alarm, shall be of the simplest character. The boxes in which the actuating springis wound by an inspector permit of such a simple manipulation; as the train of s ring-moved gearing need only be released i h'r action by the mere downward movement oi a'lever projecting from the bong-but this type of box is open to the very grave objection that its main spriis and initiate the movement tuated. Furthermore, with boxes wound by an inspector, a very rigid system of supervision must be maintained to make sure that every box is sufliciently wound after each actuation to transmit the signal safely, otherwise it might happen that the box would not operate if the spring were. run down. The disadvantages are therefore greater than the advantages in the use of the box wound by an inspector, and it is the purpose of my invention to provide a selfwinding box, which is as simple to manipu late and as certain in its action as the box wound at intervals by an inspector.

Heretofore," in self-winding alarm boxes the mechanism for transmitting the signal has failed to operate under the following conditions: First, when the operator or user neglected to let go of @the pull-lever after pulling it down. No transmission of the signal would result, in such case, as the user held the main-spring from acting upon the gear-train until the pull-handle was released. Second, when the user pulled the handle up and down repeatedly; in this case a mutilated signal would be transmitted. Third, when the o erator did not pull the handle down a su cient distance, in which case no signal would be given. My improvements wholly prevent such failure to operate, as the, first cause of failure does not exist, because the pulling down of the pull handle is arranged to wind the spring and yet havethe spring-drum and the train of gearing connected therewith free to rotate of gearing is constructed so that when the handle is moved throughout its full intended stroke the gearing produces four rotat-ions of the signal disk and thus repeats the si a1 four times. The connections from t e pull-handle to the stop mechanism d-"carried by the windin -spindle a are such that if the handle be moved only one-quarter of its proper stroke, the train of gearing will be released for operation and the signal-disk will be rotated once. Consequently, a comparatively slight movement of the pull-handle, such as any user would be certa'in to produce, is sutlicient in my construction to release the train of gearing and send the desired signal, and T have there fore minimized the liability of failure from the third cause mentioned.

In the accompanying-drawing, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the mechanism without the inclosing casing; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same on line a;-00 in Fig. 3;

Fig.3 is a plan of the same with the top of thefcasing broken away, and the stop mechanism in operation; Fig. 4c is a plan of the stop-lever, and the' mechanism for shifting the same, in operation.

The mechanism is mounted upon a baseplate 1 and inclosed in a suitable casing 2 whiclr'is merely indicated in the drawing;

Gr din'ajrily the casing would be again in closed in an ordinary fire alarmpillar box and access to it secured only through the "door upon the pillar.- The opening of such door would expose merely the pull-handle Such aospindle journaled in rams-plates 5- and 6 connected by posts 7 in the usual manner.

' The -toppost is omitted atthe lettot Fig. it drum-8" carrying a main gear-wheel 9 1s mounted to turn upon the spindle, and the ends of the clock-spring 10 are secured respectively tothespindle and the inside of the dramas shown in Fig. 2, so that the turningcd the spindle within the drum puts the spring '8 un tends to rotate atv all times under the im- '-"pulse of the spring. Tt'is' common to conmovements of the puli iever.

nect the searend of such a-sprin directly to astud upon themain g'eanwhee and the drum is not therefore essential for thepropolling or" the train by the spring. The

drum pertoivnsadditional functions in my construction; by carrying the cams whic' move the gear-trainstop. A pin is projected from the end oi? the di um and a pin ao proiectedradially from the shaft 4; to engage the' 'same when the drum is turned nearly one rotation. These pine prevent an poss ble overwindingoi the spring, and

this safeguard is metal to prevent any er tension, while the drum neonate rial-wheel. one'revolution for the movement of each. tooth upon the ratchet-wheel by the pull-lever, and as the detent 1d locks the ratchet-wheel after each tooth movement, it is evident that the spindle cannot: turn backwardly if the pull-lever befreleased before it has made its full normal movement. Through intermediate gearing 15, the spring-drum 8 is connected 'With the shaft 16 upon which the signal-Wheel 17 is socured. The shaft 16 is connected by gears 26 to ashaft 21 carrying a scape wheel 22. A rock-shaft 23 carries apallet 24.- in engagement with the scape-wheel, and also wings 25 which oscillate with the rock-shaft and regulate its speed of movement. The Wings are secured to the spindle so as to hold a fixed position thereon. A. pin 27 on a stop arm 28 is provided to engage the Wings and normally hold the entire train of mechanism from operation. A'stop-disk 31 having a notch 32 is secured to the shaft 16, and revolves in unison with the signalvrheel 17. The purpose of this arrangement is to insure the stopping of the signal-wheel in a predetermined position. An insulated spring 33 bears upon the signal-wheel, andelectric circuit connections 34 and 35 are provided, as shown in Fig. 3: The circuit is normally closed through the spring and sigrial-wheel.

The wheel is shown with a series of notches a6 disposed to interrupt the circuit and thus send the desired signal for each rotation of the signal-wheeh Thestop 27 and-a dog at) are carried by a locking-arm 28 shown pivoted upon one of the posts 7 andextended across the winding-spindle and all of the gear-shafts, and pressed by a spring 29'normally toward a pin 30 in the post 7 overthe rock-shaft 23. The normal position of the arm. 28 when in contact with the pin 30 holds the stop 27in engagement with the upper corner or? the 'wing 25, and the dog 40 in engagement with the notch 32 of the disk 31. Means are rov ded upon the spring-drum and the wind ,ing-spindle to move the locking-arm latorally when the pull-lever is depressed, so as to release the signal-wheel and the escapement mechanism. When this is once efiectednothing can-prevent the transmission of the signal by the Wheel 17. l'dtv'ery time the pull-lever is used, the spring is rewound, and the drum cannot there-tore tail to operate thesignal mechanism. To move the lockingsarm and retract the t p fr m thewino'25, a movement longitudinally of the windin'gepindle is required, and this'is crmveniently eftected'hy cam-segments 36 upon the face of the winding-drum, and a dish 37 movable upon the spindle and having seats 36' pressed normally toward the cams 36 by a spring 38,, The cain segments and seats dd have inclined acos joined to plane-faces. The disk is driven by a clutchplate 42 attached to the spindle and having pins 48 fitted to holes in the disk, the disk being held parallel with the clutch-plate by the support of its three seats 36 upon the three cams 36. The disk moves the lockingarm by contact with a pin 37 projecting therefrom.

The pull-lever, as shown in Fig. 1, is adapted to turn the ratchet-wheel 11 aboutsixty degrees, which embraces four teeth upon such wheel, and the cams 36 are proportioned, when moved a little over fifteen degrees or the space of one tooth, to move the locking-lever 26 as far as is necessary to clear the stop 27 and the dog 40 from the parts which they engage. I It will thus be seen that'the ratchet-wheel 11 must be moved at least one tooth ahead before the gear-train can be released at all. pull-lever is actuated further, the planefaces of the cams 36 and seats 36 slide upon one ,another by the rotation of the disk 37 with the spindle, until they are in the position shown in Fig. 4; butno further motion of the lever 28 results during such sliding movement. The rotation of the drum when the stop is retracted, restoresthe disk 37 and locking-arm gradually to their initial relations, but has no effect in moving the lockingmrm 28 until the signal-wheel has been turned at least three times. If the pull-lever be depressed only enough to move the ratchet-teeth one tooth, the arm 28 would still be forced to perform its normal movement, and would release the signal-wheel and permit it to make one revolution before the rotation of the sprin -drum restores the normal relation of the cam and the disk 37.

It may be observed that the signal-wheel must alwavs be stopped in the same position, as otherwise it might stop with the spring 33 opposite a notch in the signal-wheel. in which case the circuit would remain open, and no signal could be sent or received from other boxes on the same circuit. it being usual in tire alarm practice to connect a number of boxes in series in one circuit for reasons of economy in. line-construction. The desired regulation of the signal-wheel is effected positively with the construction shown. as the return of the arm 28 to its normal position is conditional ,upon the dog i0 coming opposite the notch 32 in the disk 3]. \Vhen the notch 32 coincides with the dog 40, the dog falls into the notch under the impulse of the spring 29, and the stop 27 simultaneously arrests the entire train. The signalwheel is thus always stopped in the required position to maintain a closed circuit. If the pull-lever has been pulled all the way down. four revolutions of the signal-wheel will result, as the seats upon the disk 37 will not regain their initial re- When the.

lation to the drum 8 until the signal-wheel is making its fourth rotation, durin which critical period the notched disk 31 prevents premature stopping of t-he'mechanism, as just described.

From what has been explained, it will be -It therefore follows that, so far as the transmission of the signals is concerned, it is immaterial how the pull-lever be manipulated, as a rotation of the signal-wheel results from any material movement of the pull-lever.

It is immaterial what motive power be employed to drive the gear-trainprovided it-is adapted to be energized or-rewound by each movement of the pull-lever, and to-opcrate independently of t 'e pull-lever as soon as the stop 27 is retracte It will be understood that with the construction shown, the first portion of the pull-levers movement operates to retract the stop, and thus to liberate the train for operation under the impulse of the motive power. When the gear-train and signal-Wheel are started in operation by the retraction of the stop, the motive power thereafter operates independently of the pull-lever to rotate the signalwheel during any further movement of the lever in either direction. The holding of the lever in its lower position, or the rising of the lever before it has been fully depressed, does not in any way interfere with the action of the motive power in propelling the signal-wheel. The connection of the cam 36 with the spring-drum or main cog-wheel causes the stop to arrest the action of the train after the signal-Wheel has made a definite number of revolutions, and as this is an advantageous arrangement I have made a special claim thereto.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention what is claimed herein is:

1. In a self-winding fire alarm box, the combination, with the signal-wheel and a power-driver for propelling the same,of a stop for restricting the operation of the signal-wheel, a pull-lever with connections for energizing the driver, means actuated by the first movement of the pull-lever to retract the stop. and means actuated by the driver while independently propelling the signal-wheel, to gradually move the stop into operative position to arrest the signalwheel.

V 2. A fire alarm box having rotatable mechanism for transmitting a signal, a drum geared to such mechanism, a windingspindle carrying the drum and connected thereto by a spring, a stop r'or restraining the signal mechanism, a ratchet-wheel secured to the winding-spindle, a pull-lever pivoted upon the spindle and having a 'awl to engage such ratchet-wheel and rewin the spring, adetent for holding the ratchetwheel when moved, and means carried by the spindle for retracting'the stop when oscillated by the pull-lever.

3. A 'fire alarm box having rotatable mechanism for transmittin a signal, a drum geared to such mechanlsm, a windingspindle carrying the drum and connected thereto by a spring, a stop for restraining the signal mechanism, a ratchet-wheel secured to thewinding-spindle, a pull-lever pivoted upon the spindle and having a pawl to engage suchratchet-wheel and rewind the spring, a cam attached to the drum, a disk rotatable with the spindle and longitudinally movable 'uponvt-he spindle, and

pressed normally toward the cam, and a connection from such disk to the stop to worsen retract the stop when the spindle is oscillated by the pull-lever.

4. A fire alarm box having a rotatable signal-wheel, a scape-wheel geared to the same and provided with a pa let, a stop to restrict the pallet movement, a spring-drum and gearing connectin it to the signalwheel, a winding-spind e with spring connecting it to the drum, a pull-lever with means to oscillate the winding-spindle and rewind the spring, means carried by the spindle to retract the stop, a cam upon the drum for moving such means, the retracting means operating when fully moved by the cam to hold the stop retracted during several revolutions of the signal-wheel, and operating when partially moved by the cam to permit at least one rotation of the signal-wheel.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES F. BURROUGHS.

Witnesses:

THOMAS S. CRANE, J. WALTER GREENBAUM. 

